Is Coffee Bad For Me?

Health

Although early studies of coffee suggested that it could lead to health problems, recent research provides strong evidence that drinking coffee in moderate amounts actually has a variety of health benefits.

Is coffee bad for me?

Overview

The health effects of coffee have always been controversial.

While previously it was believed that coffee is not good for health, there are several new researches that prove otherwise.

It’s high in antioxidants and linked to a reduced risk of many diseases.

However, it also contains caffeine, a stimulant that can cause problems in some people and disrupt sleep.

This article takes a detailed look at coffee and its health effects, looking at both the positives and negatives.

Positive effects of coffee

1. Coffee boosts energy and helps you focus

2. Coffee promotes concentration and alertness, allowing a break from the morning fog and giving you a useful energy boost. That's because it's packed with caffeine.

The caffeine in coffee is a psychoactive drug that changes mood to reflect that feeling of attentiveness, concentration, and contentment through stimulation of the central nervous system. These effects can usually last around four hours.

3. Coffee may help relieve migraine headaches

At the onset of a migraine headache, the blood vessels in your head enlarge and increase their blood flow. The caffeine in coffee causes vasoconstriction, or narrowing of those vessels, which restricts the blood flow and can help reduce pain.

That's also why caffeine is found in many headache remedies- both over-the-counter medications and prescription medication.

4. Coffee may improve long-term health

A study published in 2006 in the journal Diabetes Care found that younger and middle-aged women had a lower risk of type 2 diabetes through coffee consumption, whether decaffeinated or regular. These results suggest that it's not just the caffeine that is of benefit when it comes to keeping insulin levels steady.

5. Coffee is also thought to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease leading to heart attacks and stroke thanks to the antioxidants and micronutrients present.

While coffee won't contain a huge percentage of your daily recommended value for any nutrients, it does contain the following vitamins and minerals:

Niacin. A cup of coffee has about 0.5mg of niacin, a powerful B vitamin that provides benefits for skin and digestive health.
Potassium. A cup of coffee has about 16mg of potassium, which helps regulate your heartbeat and supports muscle and nerve function.
Magnesium. A cup of coffee has about 7 mg of magnesium, an important regulating enzyme that helps maintain strong bones and a healthy heart.

Negative Effects of Coffee

Some coffee drinks contain unhealthy ingredients

Coffee can be very beneficial, unless we are adding loads of sugar and abusing the frequency. You don't have to drink black coffee to reap the benefits, but we have to be mindful of how we flavour it."

Too much coffee can have adverse health effects

Coffee affects everyone differently. Some people have a higher tolerance for its stimulating effects, while others can get jittery off just one cup.

If you have a low tolerance, or drink more coffee than you're used to, you may experience the following physical symptoms:

Headaches
Rapid heartbeat
Nervousness
Insomnia
Upset stomach
Irritability

How much coffee you should drink

To get the health benefits of coffee and minimize the risks, it is recommended to drink no more than four cups of coffee a day, which is the equivalent of 400 mg of caffeine. (Source)

Although caffeine use may be safe for adults, it's not a good idea for children. Adolescents and young adults need to be cautioned about excessive caffeine intake and mixing caffeine with alcohol and other drugs.

Women who are pregnant or who are trying to become pregnant and those who are breast-feeding should talk with their doctors about limiting caffeine use to less than 200 mg daily.

Even among adults, heavy caffeine use can cause unpleasant side effects. And caffeine may not be a good choice for people who are highly sensitive to its effects or who take certain medications.

Bottomline

If consumed in moderation, coffee is not bad for health. In Fact it has many benefits. But that is the thing. It must be consumed in moderation. Extra caffeine also has certain side-effects on our body.